Abstract
Promoting a healthy lifestyle during the first years of life is a key strategy for controlling obesity risk in later life; having good-quality epidemiological data on eating habits of infants and toddlers can improve awareness and possibly the education given by pediatricians to parents and children. With this aim, we performed a survey about the dietary pattern of Italian children in early childhood. We described the intake of energy, macronutrients and fiber, minerals, and vitamins of 443 Italian children (range 6.4–131 months), through a three-day food record filled out by their parents and assessed by family pediatricians. The results were compared with the Italian Dietary Reference Values. The median protein intake, in g/kg per body weight, exceeded the average requirement in all age groups, and in the 12–36 month period, the intake as % of energy was outside the reference range (>15%). The majority of the children consumed quantities of simple carbohydrates (consisting of both natural sugars and free or added sugars, 82.3% of the children in the study) and saturated fats (69% of the children in the study) above the limits of the Italian Dietary Reference Values, with low intake of fiber and polyunsaturated fats. Median mineral intake, in our study, was different depending on age, while vitamin D intake was very low in all age groups. This is one of the few studies reporting on the nutrient intake of Italian children with reference to nutrition recommendations in order to identify the principal nutritional errors. The present results underline the need for healthcare policies starting from the first years of life in order to ameliorate nutrient intake during childhood, possibly impacting long-term health outcomes.
Highlights
Consuming a healthy diet characterized by a variety of nutritious foods and a balanced intake of energy and macro- and micronutrients is essential for promoting and maintaining health and safety, especially throughout the early childhood years
The body mass index (BMI) z-score distribution is given in Table 2, signaling that the majority (89.8%) are in the health weight range
Parents received instructions and were educated by family pediatricians on the correct method of weighing food. Another limitation of this study is the use self-reported dietary data; parents received instructions and were educated by family pediatricians on the correct method of weighing food. This is one of the few studies reporting the nutrients intake of Italian children referring to nutrition recommendations in order to identify the principal nutritional errors, both in terms of the excess of some macronutrients and micronutrient deficiencies
Summary
Consuming a healthy diet characterized by a variety of nutritious foods and a balanced intake of energy and macro- and micronutrients is essential for promoting and maintaining health and safety, especially throughout the early childhood years. Obesity is defined as an excess of body fat [3] and is a public health problem [4] with a high and increasing prevalence [3,5]. Childhood and adolescence obesity are caused by a chronic energy imbalance involving both dietary intake and physical activity [1]. The aim is to achieve optimal cognitive development and adequate growth, lowering the risk of obesity and chronic disease through suitable eating and habits as well as regular physical activity [10]. The first years of life are pivotal to starting preventive interventions [1] and ameliorating nutrition can benefit growth as well as cognitive and behavioral development, possibly preventing a later onset of obesity and complications. Monitoring population food consumption with reference to nutrition recommendations may help in identifying links between diet and disease [11]
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